Rufus Hound

Live updates

Comedian Rufus Hound has announced he intends to stands as a prospective Member of the European Parliament to campaign against changes to the NHS.

In a post on his blog he said: "In May, I will be standing as a prospective Member of the European Parliament, and doing so for The National Health Action Party.

"For anyone who follows me on Twitter, I doubt that my party of choice will come as too much of a surprise. I’ve been tweeting endlessly over the past few months about the dangers the NHS currently faces."

He added: "The NHS is the one of the single greatest achievements of any civilisation, ever, anywhere in the history of the world."

He beat the likes of DJ Sara Cox and Saturdays singer Rochelle Hulmes to lift this year's trophy for his tango with partner Flavia Cacace. Hound previously won the series Let's Dance For Sport Relief in 2010.

Elaine Paige topped the voting with the judging panel in the one-off festive Strictly show for her cha cha cha with Pasha Kovalev to Jingle Bells.

But when it went to the audience vote, Hound stepped out in front for his performance to Never Do A Tango With An Eskimo.

Surprised winner Hound said: "It's surreal in the extreme. We didn't really set out to win, the fact that it's happened I don't know what it means. I think if I had more of a taste for the ballroom, they'd be serving it in a burger!"